Variable speed driving mechanism for automatic printers and finishers for sensitized material



y 1932. H. H. SULLIVAN 1,860,212

VARIABLE SPEED DRIVING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC PRINTERS AND FINISHERS FOR SENSITIZED MATERIAL Filed 001. 21, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Harry Hewes Jullivan,

. ATTORN EY 1,860,212 VARIABLE SPEED DRIVING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC PRINTERS L 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 24,1932. H. H. SULLIVAN AND FINISHERS FOR SENSITIZED MATERIA Filed Oct. 21, 1951 lNVENTOR Hm Hen/es Sullivan Y ATTORNEY May 24, 1932. SULLWAN 1,860,212

VARIABLE SPEED DRIVING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC PRINTERS AND FINISHERS FOR SENSITIZED MATERIAL Filed OCT. 21, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 May 24, 1932- H. H. SULLIVAN 1,860,212

VARIABLE SPEED DRIVING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC PRINTERS AND FINISHERS FOR SENSITIZED MATERIAL Filed Oct. 21, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR H my filewcs \suzlLYafl ATTORNEY variable Patented May 24, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARRY HEWES SULLIVAN, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK VARIABLE SPEED DRIVING MECHANISM FOR AUTOMATIC PRINTERS AND FINISHERS FOB SENSITIZED MATERIAL Application filed October 21, 1931. Serial No. 570,227.

The invention relates to variable speed driving mechanism for an automatic printer and finisher for sensitized material.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction of driving mechanism for automatic printers and finishers for sensitized material and to provide a simple, practical and eflicient variable speed driving mechanism of strong, durable and comparatively inexpensive construction adapted to couple as a unit a machine for printing sensitized material with a washer and drier, and capable of enabling a sheet of sensitized material to be continuously runthrough the printing machine, the washer and the drier at the desired manually controlled speed, and of automatically controlling the speed of the washer and drier and wind-up mechanism or device of the latter to increaseor decrease the speed of the washer and drier relative to the speed of the printer, to take up the slack or stretching of the sensitized material due to washing and chemical treatment, and also to prevent excessive strain on the paper or other exposed sensitized material, whereby wrinkling, creasing, tearing or otherwise injuring the exposed sheet from such causes will be effectually prevented without the attention of an attendant.

WVith the above and other objects in view,

the invention consists in the construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and set forth in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion and minor details of construction, within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an automatic printer and finisher unit provided with speed driving mechanism constructed in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing the travel of the sensitized sheet ofmaterial through the printing machine, the washer and the drier.

Fig. 3 is a detail horizontal sectional view taken substantially on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a detail vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail view, partly in section, of, the variable speed driving mechanism.

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a detail sectional view on the line 77 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 8 is a detail vertical sectional view on the line 8-8 of Fig. 3. V

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view on the line 9-9 of Fig. 3.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated thepreferred embodiment of the invention, the variable speed driving mechanism is shown applied to a sensitized material printing machine constructed substantially as shown and described in my copending application, Serial No.-490,911, filed October 24, 1930, and a print washer and drier constructed substantially as shown and described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 499,783, filed on or about December 3, 1930, but the said variable speed driving mechanism is applicable to various other printing machines and print washers and driers connected together as a single unit, as will be readily understood.

The sheet 1 of sensitized material, as illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 2 of the drawings. is fed from a continuous roll 2 through the printing machine 3, and after being exposed to the light 4 for printing leaves the machine at the front thereof and passes upwardly at the front of the machine to the top thereof and then rearwardly over the top of the machine to the washer 5, where it is washed by water and treated chemically. The sheet of paper after passing through the washer, travels upwardly at the front side of the drier at 7 to the top thereof and then downwardly interior of the drier through a drying chamber 8 to the wind-up mechanism 9 of the drier.

The printing machine, the washer and the drier are driven from an electric motor 10 which is connected with the printing machine and with the washer and drier by the said manually controlled variable speed driving mechanism. The sensitized paper or other sensitized material, as explained in the aforesaid application, is held against a transparent light transmitting cylinder 11, by means of a belt 12 arranged on rollers 13 and adaptcd to rotate the cylinder and carry the sensitized material through the printing machine. The driving of the belt is effected by means of the said manually controlled variable speed driving mechanism. A pulley 14, which is connected with one of the rollers 13, is driven by a belt 15 passing about it and also about a pulley 16 on a transverse shaft 17. The shaft 17, which is journaled in suitable bearings, carries a worm wheel 18 which meshes with a worm 19 on a. horizontal longitudinal shaft 20. The latter carries a vertical friction disk 21 which is engaged on one face by an axially movable disk 22 movable on its axial movement radially of the disk 21 to provide a speed changing means for changing the speed of travel of the belt 15 which drives or actuates the printing machine. The axially movable disk 22, which is preferably arranged horizontally and located below the shaft 20, is mounted to turn on a carrier 23 which is guided on a rod 24 depending from the bearing 25 in which the longitudinal shaft 20 is mounted.

Also engaging the disk 22 on the opposite side of its axis of turning is a disk 26 having a pulley face and driven by a belt 27 which is also arranged on the pulley -28 of the shaft 29 of the motor 10, It will be apparent that the lower the disk 22 is moved,,the higher will be the speed of travel of the belt 15, and the higher the disk 22 is moved, the slower will be the travel of the said belt 15. This friction gear spaced changer makes it possible to move the sheet of sensitized material at any speed from three inches to twenty feet per minute without changing the motor speed;

The speed of the machine is controlled manually from the feed table 30 by a combined operating and measuring wheel 31 having a pinion 32 which meshes with a sliding rack 33 which engages a segmental rocking gear 34. The rocking gear 34 is provided with an arm 35 which is connected by a link 36 with the carrier 23 so that the turning of the wheel 31 shifts the disk 22 to vary the speed of travel of the feeding belt. By this arrangement the operator of the machine can set from the feed table a definite speed of travel for the sensitized material.

The longitudinal shaft 20 of the speed gear changer of the printing machine is connected by a flexible shaft 37 with a horizontal longitudinal shaft 38 on which is mounted a vertical friction disk 39 engaged at one of its side faces by an axially movable friction disk 40. The friction disk 40, which is horizontally arranged within a carrier 47 movable upwardly and downwardly on vertical guide rods 48 and 49. The guide rods 48 and 49,

which are arranged in parallelism and which insure a vertical, movement of the carrier independent from the tank 50 of the washer, and are supported at their lower ends by a horizontal arm 51 extending from, and preferably formed integral with, the bearing 52 in which the horizontal shaft 41 is journaled. Any suitable means may be provided for enabling the carrier to move vertically with a minimum amount of friction on the guide rods 48 and 49, and the said carrier is connected by a pivot 53 with the lower end of a link 54 extending upwardly from the carrier and connected at its upper end by a pivot 55 with an operating arm 56. The operating arm 56 is connected at one end by a pivot 57 to a lever arm '58 of a vertically movable floating roller 59 which rests upon the exposed sensitized sheet of material passing through the washer. The washer, as explained in one of the aforesaid applications, is provided with a-series of transverse rollers, and the sheet of exposed sensitized material extends downwardly from the top of the washer beneath a roller 60 and over a second roller 61 and under the said roller 59 which constitutes the third roller of the series. The other rollers 62 are arranged at regular intervals and may, of course, be of any desired number. The roller 59 is connected at each end with a pivotally mounted arm 58 and the pivot 57 of the arm 56 extends through the side of the tank and connects the two arms 56 and 58, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 6 of the drawings at one side of the tank. The arm 58 at the other end of the transverse roller 59 is constructed the same as the one illustrated in Fig. 6.

The weight of the roller 59 rests upon the sheet of material within thewasher, and should the paper expand or stretch when subjected to washing. or the chemical treatmentfor the development and finishing of the exposed sensitized material, the slack in the sheet of material will permit the roller 59 to move downwardly from the position illustrated in Figs. 2 and 5, and this downward movement of the roller 59 will carry with it the axially movable disk 40, which will increase the speed of the wind-up mechanism and thereby take up the slack due to the expansion or stretching of the material and lift.

in no rotary motion being transmitted to the friction disk 41 and would stop the wind-up mechanism so that the feed of the sensitized material by the printing machine would quickly restore the sensitized material to its normal condition and position with relation to the rollers of the washer. This automatic control of the speed of the wind-up mechanism of the drier is independent of the manual adjustment of the speed changer of the printing machine, and does not affect or interfere with the manual adjustment of the latter.

While in the accompanying drawings the third roller 59 of the washer. is vertically movable and is supported bythe sensitized material for operating the speed changer automatically, any one of the upper rollers or rollers which are located above the exposed sensitized material in the washer may, of course, be used for automatically operating the speed changer of the drier.

The shaft 45 carries a sprocket wheel 63 which is connected by a sprocket chain 64 with a shaft 65 for rotating the latter. The shaft 65 has mounted on it a spur gear wheel 66 which meshes with similar gears 67 and 68 of the wind-up mechanism of the drier. The wind-up mechanism, which may be of any desired construction, is illustrated in the accompanying drawings as consisting of rollers 69, 70 and 71 arranged to form a cradle to receive the roll of finished material after the; same has passed through the printingmachine, the washer and the drier. The intermediate roller 70 of the wind-up mechanism is located below the axesof the rollers 69 and 71 to form the said cradle. The roller 71 is provided with a spur gear 72 which meshes with a pinion 73 interposed between i the gear 68 of the roller 70 and the gear 72 of the roller 71. Any other suitable arrangement of gearing may, of course, be employed for rotating the rollers of the winding up mechanism. v

In practice, a sprocket wheel 74 will be connected with the spur gear 66 for driving a sprocket chain 75 arranged on suitable sprocket wheels of the rollers of the washer, and the drier. A suitable manually operable clutch 7 6 is designed to be provided for clutching the spur gear 66 and sprocket wheel 74 with the shaft 65. Also in practice the wind-up mechanism will be equipped with gravity acting disks or wheels 77 for maintaining the finished material in contact with the roller 71 of the wind-up mechanism. Any number of gravity acting wheels 77 may, of course, beeemployed, and the said wheels are mounted on the shaft 78 connected at each end with the frame of the drier by a pivoted arm 79. Various other forms of wind-up devices may, of course, be employed, and if desired the material may, of course, be fed to a table for immediate cutting and trimming when required.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a sensitized ma terial printing machine, a washer and a drier having wind-up mechanism, of a motor, a

manually operable speed changer connecting the motor with the printing machine and varying the speed thereof, a second speed changer connected with the wind-up mechanism and actuated by the motor, and means actuated by sensitized material passing through the washer for automatically controlling said second speed changer for automatically varying the speed of the wind-up mechanism independently of the speed of the printing machine to take up slack in the sensitized material and also to prevent excessive strain on the same.

2. The combination with a sensitized material printing machine, a washer and a drier having wind-up mechanism, of a motor, a manually operable speed changer connecting the motor with the printing machine and varying the speed thereof, a second speed changer and connected with and actuated by the said speed changer and connected with the wind-up mechanism of the drier, and means controlled by sensitized material passing through the washer for automatically operating the second speed changer to take up slack in the sensitized material and also to prevent excessive strain on the same.

3. The combination with a sensitized material printing machine, a washer and a drier having wind-up mechanism, of a motor, a manually operable speed changer connecting the motor with the printing machine and varying the speed thereof, a second speed changer connected with and actuated by the saidspeed changer and connected with the windup mechanism of the drier, and a gravity acting device connected with the second speed changer and arranged to be supported by sensitized material passing through the washer and adapted to control the said second speed changer automatically to take up slack in the sensitized material and also to prevent excessive strain on the same.

4. The combination with a sensitized material printing machine, a washer and a drier acting roller located within varying the speed thereof, a second speed changer connected with and actuated by the said speed changer and connected with the wind-up mechanism of the drier, a gravity the washer and arranged to be suported by the sensitized material passing through the same, and means for connecting the roller with the second speed changer for automatically controlling the speed of the wind-up mechanism independently of the speed of the printing machine to take up slack in the sensitized material and also to prevent excessive strain on the same.

5. The combination with a sensitized material printing machine, a washer and a drier having wind-up mechanism, of a motor, a manually operable speed changer connecting the motor with the printing machine and varying the speed thereof, ,a second speed changer connected with and actuated by the said speed changer and connected with the wind-up mechanism of the drier, a floating gravity acting roller arranged within the washer to form a guide for the sensitized material and in position to be supported by the same, an operating member connected with and actuated by the floating roller, and means for connecting the operating member with the second speed changer for automatically controlling the speed of the wind-up device independently of the speed of the printing machine to take up slack in the sensitized material and also to prevent excessive strain on the same. v

6. The combination with a sensitized material printing machine, a washer and a drier having wind-up mechanism, of a motor, a

manually operable speed changer driven by the motor for manually controlling the speed of the same, a friction disk connected with the speed changer and actuated by the same in synchronism with the printing machine and axially movable, axially adjustable friction disks engaging the said friction disk and movable radially, a friction disk engaged by the axially movable friction disk at a oint diametrically opposite the first mentioned friction disk, gearing for connecting the last mentioned friction disk with the wind-up mechanism of the drier, and means controlled by sensitized paper passing through. the washer for operating the axially movable friction disk automatically to vary the speed of the wind-up mechanism independently of the speed of the printing machine to take up slack in the said sensitized material and also to prevent excessive strain on the same.

7. The combination with a sensitized material printing machine, a washer and a drier having wind-up mechanism, of a motor, a manually operable speed changer driven by the motor for manually controlling the speed of the same, a friction disk connected with the speed changer and actuated by the same in synchronism with and axially movable, tion disks engaging and movable radially,-. a friction disk engaged by the axially movable friction disk at a point diametrically opposite the first mentioned friction disk, gearing for connecting the last mentioned friction disk with the wind-up mechanism of the drier, and a floating roller arranged to be supported by sensitized material passing through the washer and connected with the axially moving disk for automatically varying the speed of the wind-up mechanism of the drier independently of the speed of the printing machine to take up slack in the sensitized material and also to prevent excessive strain on the same.

8. The combination with a sensitized material printing machine, a washer and a drier having wind-up mechanism, of a motor, a manually operable speed changer driven by the motor for manually controlling the speed of the same, a friction disk connected with the speed changer and actuated by the same in synchronism with the printing machine and axially movable, axially adjustable friction disks engaging the said friction disk and movable radially, a friction dis'k engaged by the axially movable friction disk at a point diametrically tioned friction disk, gearing for connecting the last mentioned friction disk with the wind-up mechanism of the drier, a floating roller arranged within the washer in position to be supported by sensitized material passing through the same, a pivoted member connected with the floating roller, and means for connecting the pivoted member with the axially movable disk for automatically varying the speed of the wind-up mechanism independently of the speed of the printing machine to take up slack in the sensitized material and also to prevent excessive strain on the same.

9. The combination with a sensitized material printing machine, a washer and a drier having wind-up mechanism, of a motor, a manually operable speed changer driven by the motor for manually controlling the speed of the same, a friction disk connected with the speed changer and actuated by the opposite the first mensame in synchronism with the printing mameans connected with the carrier and con trolled by sensitized material passing through the washer for automatically varying the speed of the wind-up mechanism independentl of the speed of the printing machine to ta to up slack in the sensitized material and also to prevent excessive strain on the same.

10. The combination with a sensitized material printing machine, a washer and a drier having Wind-up mechanism, of a motor, a manually operable speed changer driven by the motor for manually controlling the speed of the same, a friction disk connected with the speed changer and actuated by the same in synchronism with the printing machine and axially movable, axially adjustable friction disks engaging the said friction disk and movable radially, a friction disk engaged by the axially movable friction disk at a point diametrically opposite the first mentioned friction disk, gearing for connecting the last mentioned friction disk with the wind-up mechanism of the drier, a carrier in which the axially movable disk is mounted, spaced parallel guide rods slidably receiving the carrier, a floating roller located 'within the washer and arranged to be'supported by sensitized material passing through the washer, a movable member connected with the floating roller, and means for connecting the movable member and the carrier for automatically controlling the speed of the windup mechanism of the drier independently of the speed of the motor.

11. The combination with a sensitized material printing machine, a washer and a drier having wind-up mechanism, of a motor, a manually operable speed changer driven by the motor for manually controlling the speed of the same, a friction disk connected. with the speed changer and actuated by the same in synchronism with the printing machine and axially movable, axially adjustable friction disks engaging the said friction disk and movable radially,a friction di'sk engaged by the axially movable friction disk at a point diametrically opposite the first mentioned friction disk, sprocket gearing connected with the wind-up mechanism of the drier, worm gearing connecting the sproc'ket gearing with the last named disk of the second speed changer, and means controlled by sensitized material passing through the washer for automatically operating the second speed changer to vary the speed of the wind-up mechanism independently of the speed of the printing machine to take up slack in the sensitized material and also to prevent excessive strain on the .same.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 30th day of September, 1931.

HARRY HEWES SULLIVAN. 

